The Alec Baldwin Puzzle: What’s Next

It was a mild Thursday morning in Santa Fe, New Mexico. But on the set of the western “Rust”, which was filmed on the Bonanza Creek Ranch, the day started turbulent. Six crew members had resigned because they found the security precautions inadequate, and payments were still a long time coming. Director Joel Souza was stressed and had to compensate for the failures. He told investigators in retrospect that parts of the crew had to be replaced. Nobody had suspected that all these details would become important.

Alec Baldwin and the fatal shot on the set

But now everything has been revolving around the set of “Rust” for a little more than a week, every decision, every movement is suddenly analyzed. Halyna Hutchins was killed because star actor Alec Baldwin accidentally shot her. How this could happen is still not fully understood. The case raises numerous questions, and those involved comment on a daily basis. And it is becoming increasingly difficult to see through the thicket of allegations, excuses and expert assessments. But one after anonther.

The next shot was prepared before lunch. The film should be shot in a church on the premises. According to Joel Souza’s affidavit, Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was preparing three guns, which she placed on a cart in front of the church. At about 12.30 p.m. they took a break.

The camera crew, director and lead actor Alec Baldwin then gathered in the church, where the actor wanted to rehearse the scene. Assistant director Dave Halls handed him one of the prop weapons with the words: “Cold gun”. Cold means uncharged. Reid Russell of the camera team said in his testimony that a shadow had affected the direction of rotation, so Baldwin demonstrated how he would pull the revolver and move it towards the camera. At that moment a shot went off, which hit Halyna Hutchins in the chest area and Joel Souza in the shoulder.

Doctor tried to save Halyna Hutchins

Hutchins staggered back, saying she couldn’t feel her legs. Set doctor Cherlyn Schaefer heard the shot from Baldwin’s prop gun, but was not on location at the time, but outside the church. “Are we rehearsing? Because ‘fire in the hole’ was not called,” she said, according to the police report. “Fire in the hole” is the exclamation on set when explosive material is used. When she heard it was a medical emergency, she ran to the church where Baldwin, Hutchins and the rest of the crew were staying.

She saw Halyna Hutchins, who had been hit in the chest area, and told those around to put pressure on the wound and call 911. She herself put an oxygen mask on Hutchins and checked her vital signs. Script supervisor Mamie Mitchell called the ambulance and blamed the first: “He was supposed to be controlling the guns. He’s responsible for what happened,” she said of Dave Halls, who presented the gun to Baldwin.

Despite the quick intervention, the 42-year-old camerawoman did not survive. She was flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital in Albuquerque, where she was pronounced dead. Joel Souza also had to be treated seriously injured.

First statements about the accident and consequences

When the public heard of the tragic accident, the first questions arose. First and foremost: How can something like this happen on a film set? On Change.org, director Bandar Albuliwi started a petition that was shared by some Hollywood stars. “Real guns are no longer needed on filming locations. We’re not in the early 1990s when Brandon Lee was killed the same way. Something has to change before more talented people die.” demanded Albuliwi.

Friends and companions of the late Halyna Hutchins spoke up and paid tribute to the young woman. Accidental shooter Baldwin first went public on the Friday after the accident. “I have no words to express my shock and grief over this tragedy that has taken the life of Halyna Hutchins. A mother, a wife and a deeply valued colleague,” he wrote on Twitter. And further: “I am in contact with her husband and have offered him and the family my support. My heart is broken and my thoughts are with him, her son and all the people who have known and loved Halyna.”

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First finger pointing

Horror and grieving statements on the internet were followed by the first assignments of blame. After numerous police statements by those involved, two key figures emerged in addition to Baldwin himself: armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and assistant director Dave Halls.

At the age of 24, the former was considered young and inexperienced. The New York Post quoted a podcast in which Gutierrez-Reed spoke last month about her uncertainty while shooting her first film: “I was really nervous at first and almost didn’t take the job because I wasn’t sure whether I’m ready “, she is supposed to have said about” The Old Way “(with Nicolas Cage). Already after the blockbuster was shot, she was accused of having “handled guns carelessly”, according to a report in “The Daily Beast” magazine. Her job on set is clear: As soon as weapons are involved, she is responsible and is responsible for checking everything down to the smallest detail.

Hannah Gutierrez-Reed

After Gutierrez-Reed became more and more the focus of investigations and public reporting, her lawyers commented on Friday. They have “no idea where the live ammunition came from,” they said. Media reports that members of the film crew had practiced target guns and live ammunition on cans just hours before the fatal incident, Gutierrez-Reed, through her lawyers, dismissed.

They kept the weapons under lock and key every evening and during the lunch break. It can be completely ruled out “that even a single one of them was missing or was fired by crew members”. Allegedly Gutierrez-Reed always fought for training and for adequate time before the shooting exercises, but was thrown off during production. The set was no longer safe and that was not Hannah’s fault, according to the lawyers.

A “ridiculous statement,” as armorer Mike Tristano judged on “NBC News”. “How can you not know what is on set and what has to do with the guns to handle?” He asked in amazement, explaining that it was “like a cook doing the catering and saying, ‘Me don’t know where the food is coming from. ‘”

Assistant Director Dave Halls

In addition to Gutierrez-Reed, however, assistant director Dave Halls also handled the guns. Worse still, he handed Alec Baldwin the pistol, which he described as “cold” even though it was loaded with live ammunition. The experienced film professional seems to see his mistake himself.

“[Halls] indicated that he should have checked all the cartridges but did not and could not remember whether [Gutierrez-Reed] the drum was spinning, “says the affidavit he made himself. He also stated that he had only seen three cartridges.” I check the barrel for obstacles, most of the time there is no sharp shot, Hannah opens it the hatch and turns the drum, and I say cold gun, “he explained the normal process on set.

Save, save, save: production

So both Gutierrez-Reed and Dave Halls seem to have made mistakes. But they may just be two building blocks of a major failure. After all, it was not without reason that the production staff ran away during the shoot. The top priority of the low-budget film seems to have been: Save wherever you can. A suspicion that is reinforced by those involved.

“We film in the mountains, in the open sea, underwater. We have explosions, guns, car accidents, electrics everywhere and so much more. And to save a few dollars sometimes, you hire people who don’t do the complicated and dangerous job are qualified and risk life “, set electrician Serge Svetnoy described the situation in a harrowing Facebook post. “He [Alec Baldwin] has to live with the fact that he killed someone because others were unprofessional, “wrote Svetnoy.

How it goes on now

As of now, the Santa Fe Police investigation is ongoing. Legal experts believe that Halyna Hutchins’ family could initiate a civil suit: “Against the production company, against the gun master, against the assistant director who handed the gun over to Alec Baldwin, as well as all other persons – including Baldwin as producer, if that one substantial breach of duty that led to the accident must be proven, “explains US attorney Elson D. Nowell the “Bild” newspaper.

Hutchin’s family could seek damages. If it turns out that the production was actually neglected, a large sum would be in the room. “I assume that everyone will be sued,” says legal expert Bryan Sullivan.

Sources used: “Los Angeles Times” / “New York Times” / “Daily Beast” / “New York Post” / “NBC News” / “Bild” newspaper / Facebook / AFP